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Hurricanes hit 14 3s, hold off Charlotte

Nov 26, 2014 - 5:26 AM Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Sheldon McClellan made five 3-pointers and finished with 31 points as the 17th-ranked Hurricanes escaped Charlotte with a 77-74 win over the 49ers in a rematch of the Charleston Classic title game.

Miami went the final five-plus minutes without making a field goal and missed the front end of a 1-and-1 twice down the stretch to keep the Niners close.

Charlotte's Braxton Ogbueze was fouled taking a 3-pointer with 9.7 seconds remaining and had a chance to tie the game, but after making the first two free throws, the sophomore guard missed the third to keep Miami ahead 75-74.

McClellan made two free throws for a three-point game, and Ogbueze's off- balanced try just before the buzzer was well off the mark.

These programs were meeting for the second time in three days, and while the decision again went to the Hurricanes, the method was decidedly different.

After hitting just 6-of-22 from behind the arc in Sunday's 77-58 victory, Miami-Florida (6-0) hit a scorching 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) from long distance to stay unbeaten on the young season.

Manu Lecomte and Angel Rodriguez each connected four times from the perimeter and totaled 18 and 14 points, respectively, for the victors.

Charlotte (3-2) outscored Miami in the paint by a wide 44-24 margin but came up just short in its home opener. Torin Dorn and Mike Thorne Jr. scored 17 points apiece in defeat.

Miami went into halftime holding a slim 38-37 lead and made its first seven shots in the second half to take control.

Five of those makes came from behind the arc, with Lecomte's 3-pointer yielding a 57-45 lead with under 14 minutes to play.

The 49ers pulled within two possessions several times from there but never got over the hump.

A 9-0 Charlotte run, capped by a Thorne tip-in, made it a 73-69 game with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

After Dorn and Ogbueze both missed 3-point tries, McClellan made two from the foul line. Ogbueze's 3 cut the margin to 75-72, and Rodriguez's missed free throw with 18 seconds on the clock set the stage for the dramatic finish.

Charlotte scored the game's first six points and led by as many as nine, 26-17, before Miami made its move.

Rodriguez made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, then hit again from deep to give the Hurricanes their first lead at 36-34.

Game Notes

The 49ers had won three straight home openers ... Miami attempted just nine free throws and made five ... Charlotte shot 10-of-19 from the foul line.